Welcome to my blog! This is my very first post, and I was originally going to write about myself, but I realized I have all of that information in the About section of the website, so I am going to go ahead and skip that. If you want to learn more about me, you can read through there, and you can learn more through reading my posts.

I am instead going to go ahead and jump right in with a quick post about my bikes and what I use each one for. People always ask me why I keep multiple bikes, and why I always have another one (or three) I want to buy. I tell them every bike has a specific purpose, specific advantages, and some even hold a little sentimental value to me.

Going in the order which I acquired the bikes, the first is my 2013 Trek Lexa. This was my very first bike my dad got for me when I finished my first triathlon in college, and it is probably one of my favorites, purely because it was my first. It didn’t have climbing gears, and it was only 8-speed components, but it got me through some races and out training on the roads. Currently, it is my greenway bike for when I ride the flat greenway with my husband, and it is upgraded from my 8-speed claris components to 10-speed tiagra components, complete with rack, fenders, and a bag in case I want to commute someday (my dream right there).

Next would be my triathlon bike, which is a 2013 Felt B16W, which was the women’s model of Felt’s popular entry level B16, complete with purple pain. It has it’s obvious purpose as my triathlon and now time trial bike, and it remains my fastest bike, although that may change some day. It came stock with Felt wheels, but I have upgraded those to the FSE 55/79 combo I ride currently, and now other upgrades have been done outside of regular maintenance like new cables and housing. I would love Di2 with 2-button shifters, but I will most likely get a new bike before that happens.

I didn’t get another bike until 2017, when I bought my first bike I paid for myself, which is a 2017 Trek Madone 9.2, which I upgraded to Di2 myself, making it a 9.5 (minus carbon wheels). This was the first of my bikes I worked on myself, so there was a lot of learning in this process, but I came out of it with a lot more knowledge, and a smooth riding aero bike. I originally bought it because I love the integration and invisible cable routing, and now it will most likely become the bike I race if I choose to road race more than time trials.

Next, I bought a frame. Trek was doing a closeout on past model year frame sets for employees, so I bought a 2017 Trek Domane SL disc frame. I spent close to 9 months buying parts for this bike, the problem being the need for hydraulic shifters, and I chose to go with carbon wheels. I ended up with one Dura-Ace and one Ultregra shifter with one Dura-Ace and one RS785 Brake caliper, and it works perfectly for me. I did go ahead and only get carbon wheels, no trainer wheels, on this one from Craft Carbon Wheels, opting for 35mm deep rims, so if I get a cross bike, I can swap wheels. This is also the first bike I put a 11-32 cassette on, other than my Lexa when I upgraded it, so it is the perfect bike for hilly group rides, or if I am planning to do hill repeats up on the trace (Natchez Trace Parkway). It is also very comfortable with front and rear Isospeed from Trek, and the position is definitely the first one where I got on a bike and immediately thought “this feels good”.

What do I want from more bikes? For one, I think I want to try cyclocross, so a Trek Crockett would be nice, whether I go frame set or whole bike. I also want the new Madone, because it is lighter, and it is offered in a disc frame for more reliable stopping. I think my next bike will probably be another triathlon bike, because I know I want to race more in the future, but I may actually stick to UCI legal for time trial, or keep my Felt for those. For anyone questioning, N+1 is always the number of bikes you need, but my most recent purchase has been my husbands new bike.

Look out for my first video on Youtube where I will be going over some bike fit basics, as well as messing up my fit on my Lexa and going through some modifications on the position without taking measurements from my other bikes.

My name is Alex, and I am a cyclist, triathlete, bicycle mechanic, swim coach, and accounting student. I write about my experiences working on bikes and the places I ride and train, while also working to manage being a full time accounting student. My hope is to share information that is both useful and entertaining for cyclists and triathletes through my blog, as well as my Youtube channel.